The Population Policy Debate from a Natural Resource Perspective: Reflections from the Wentworth Group

Generations of Australians, especially those who live in rural or remote areas, have struggled to better understand, manage, and adapt to Australia's unique environmental conditions. Increased awareness of pressures and impacts of population growth has renewed the long-standing debate on the nation's capacity to sustainably manage natural resources. Since 2002, the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists has been active in debates linking science and public policy with a declared intent to inform decision-makers on ways to adapt to changing Australian environmental conditions, assuming a growing population. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the population policy debate from the perspective of an entity that has as its prime objective to improve the nation's capacity to adapt to these changing conditions by influencing public policy on natural resource management.